The National Trade Union Congress of Belize, the umbrella union to which all other unions in Belize are members, celebrated its 56th anniversary as an organization.
The NTUCB officially opened its doors as a prominent advocate for unionism in Belize on July 11th, 1966. As viewers are aware, unions have played an essential role in Belize's self-governance and post-independence era. It has a rich history of advocacy on behalf of workers' rights, and in its present-day, the NTUCB remains a critical social partner for any ruling government in office.
As part of today's anniversary celebration, the NTUCB unveiled their new book, which seeks to catalog their version of events throughout that 56-year history. The book is written by Lawrence Vernon, and it was officially launched this afternoon at the Leo Bradley Library in Belize City.
The press was invited, and 7News was there to learn about this new piece of literature and its importance to the organization. Here's what the keynote speakers had to say:
Luis Luke Martinez - President, NTUCB
"Today is a very special day for the National Trade Union Congress of Belize. You agree with me. It's our 56th Anniversary, and today is not just a special l day because it is our anniversary. Today will be marking yet another milestone in launching the National Trade Union Congress book, a book that chronicles our story, not his story, or her story, but our story, the story of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize because our story has never been told."
Dylan Reneau - Former President, NTUCB/Guest Speaker
"I gleaned from the acknowledgments in the book that Mr. Vernon spent countless hours gathering data on the history of the NTUCB from 1966, to its contemporary history. He gathered information from the National Heritage Library of the Belize National Library Service and Information Systems, the Belize Archives and Records Service, as well as national newspapers. Mr. Vernon was ably assisted by Assistant Librarian, Mr. Michael Bradley, who served as his research assistant. The invaluable labor of love in writing this book is much appreciated, sir."
Lawrence Vernon - Writer
"Invariably here, the name 'NTUCB' is mentioned in the news, but I do not think that the public is fully aware of its achievements since its inception in 1966, nor has its value been fully recognized over the years. But surely, we have heard a lot of their vocal opinions on various topics expressed in the media. Generally, the public has not fully appreciated what it means to be a real trade union in Belize's recent history. So, I did my best to research and document this, as the president said, our history of the NTUCB."
If you want to purchase the NTUCB Book, it costs $30 and will be available at select outlets.
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